MARK NOBLE missed a penalty as West Ham's European ambitions suffered a body blow with a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Upton Park.

Solomon Kalou's second half strike was enough to take all three points, but it was Noble's failure to convert from 12 yards that will have Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola ruing what might have been.

Chelsea enjoyed the lion's share of possession, but, with the exception of a few long range efforts, West Ham's defence held firm in a subdued first half.

Florent Malouda's 20 yard drive fizzed wide in the first minute, before Lucas Neill's clever positional sense saw him snuff out the danger when Nicolas Anelka threatened to run through on goal.

For all their dominance, the Blues struggled to open up the hosts, and it was the Hammers who should have taken the lead 20 minutes in. The much-improved Diego Tristan cushioned the ball and threaded a perfect ball between two Chelsea defenders and into the path of Kieron Dyer, making his first start for the Hammers in over two years.

The England international sprinted through unchallenged, but his left-footed finish was one of a man lacking in minutes on the pitch and chances in front of goal.

Noble then made a superb last-ditch tackle on Frank Lampard, just as the midfielder was about to pull the trigger from the edge of the box.

West Ham finished the half strongly, and would have headed into the break a goal up, had it not been for the alertness of Jon Obi Mikel on the goal line.

Noble swung in a corner and the combination of James Tomkins and Matthew Upson nodded the ball down for Tristan, but the Spaniard was stretching and his flick towards goal was cleared by Mikel.

Junior Stanislas found himself in acres of space soon after the interval, and the youngster drove at the heart of Chelsea's defence. He delayed his pass until the last moment, when he fed Tristan on the left side of the area, but, with the striker reluctant to use his left foot, his eventual shot was blocked.

That profligacy was punished in the most severe fashion, as the visitors took the lead minutes later. Lampard's lofted ball to the back post from the byline was tipped into the path of Kalou by Robert Green, and the winger was left with the simple task of proding the ball into an unguarded net.

West Ham refused to throw in the towel, and they were handed a glorious opportunity to draw level on 70 minutes. Herita Ilunga followed his ball into Tristan, and, with his back to goal, the striker managed to hold off the challenge from a defender, before slipping the left-back in. As Ilunga bore down on goal, an arm came across him from his marker, Kalou, and he hit the deck, prompting referee Mike Dean to point to the spot.

It could prove to be the decisive moment in West Ham's season, as Noble's well-struck penalty was brilliantly palmed away by the diving Petr Cech.

Savio and Freddie Sears were thrown on by Zola, for the impressive Luis Boa Morte and Dyer, but the Hammers struggled to eke out any more chances from a stubborn Chelsea backline.

The result was made even more costly by the fact that two of the Irons' closest rivals for the coveted Europa League place, Fulham and Manchester City, both won.